COUNTERCOLUMN: All Your Bias Are Belong to Us

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Thursday, November 09, 2006

Response to a commenter

A commenter writes in chastising me for observing that as of 9:13 PM on election day, CNN had made 13 calls for Democrats and not a single call for Republicans.

"Dude, that's 'cause the Republicans were getting shellacked!" he writes.

Umm ... no.

Republicans were not shellacked in every race or in every seat.

Take Florida, alone, for example:

Republicans shellacked Democrats in Florida districts 1,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,12,24,12,15,13,14,18,21, and 25. Many of those margins were not even close: Jeff Miller, a Republican, beat Joe Roberts, a Democratic challenger, in Florida District 1 68.6 to 31.4 percent! They couldn't call that one?

Republicans beat Democrats in five congressional races in South Carolina. Some of them by significant margins. Joe Wilson beat Michal Ray Ellisor 63-37 in District 2.

Republicans won two races in Georgia. None of them were called as of my writing - despite Lynn Westmoreland reciving 67.4 percent in Georgia District 3. Was that too close to call until midnight? I don't think so.

Republicans won five House races in North Carolina. Eight races in Delaware. Three in Maryland. Not one of them could have been called with early results?

Hell, Randy Forbes got 76.4 percent of the vote in Virginia District 4, running unopposed. If CNN were willing to call Maryland's Senate race with zero percent of precincts reporting, just why, oh, why couldn't they figure this one out?